The rulers generally kept themselves detached from the general masses. The masses whether Hindu or Muslim were subjected to similar exploitation. The common people lived harmonious life and influenced each other in different fields of life. They were belong to the upper class conflict between the rulers and the Ulema.
ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES OF THE SULTANATE PERIOD
Arch and Dome Method The arch and dame dispensed with the need for a large number of pillars.
Mortar The Turks used a fine quality of martar in their buildings Stab and Beam Method This method was generally used by an Indians.
Decoration Turks used geometrical and floral designs combining them with panels of inscriptions with verses from the Quran. This style of decoration was known as Arabesque They also borrowed Hindu Motifs such as the bell motil, swastika and lotus
ARCHITECTURE IN THE PERIOD OF SULTANATE RULER
KHILJI’S ARCHITECTURE – Ala-ud-din Khil constructed of Jamaat Khana Majid at the Dargah of Nizamuddin Auliya and Alai Darwaju at Quth. The other monument at Delhi were city of Siri, and the Hauz-i-Alai or Hauz-i-Khus tank. He also constructed place of thousand pillars called Hazar Sutun Ala-ud-din Khilp built his new capital at Siri He added Alat Darwaja, an entrance door to the Quth. For the first time in India, a dome built on true scientific principles was introduced at Alai Darwaja The Khilji buildings are characterized by the use of red sandstone
TUGHLAQ’S ARCHITECTURE – Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq and Muhammad-hin-Tughlaq built the huge palace rum fortress called Tughlaqabad, a huge artificial lake was created around it. The tomb of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq built by Muhammed Tughlaq introduced a new architectural trend in India, to put the building on a high platform.
Muhammed Tughlaq founded the small fortress of Adilabad and the city of Jahanpanah. Firoz Shah Tughlaq laid the foundation of cities of Jaunpur, Fatehabad, Hisasur, and Firuza. At Delhi, he built the palace fort of Firozabad Firoz Shah Tughlaq built Kotla and Hauz Khas. Significant features of Tughlaq were as follows
- Use of sloping walls.
- Combined principles of arch and dome with the Slab and Beam method
- Tughlaqs used cheaper and more readily available grey stone
- As grey stone was not easy to carve, so the buildings of Tughlaqs had minimum decorations.
- The octagonal tombs began to be constructed during Tughlaq period.
LODHIS ARCHITECTURE – The Lodhis combined many new features of architecture brought to Indian by Turks with indigenous forms. Balconies and kiosks of the Rajasthani Gujarati style are used. Lodhis placed their buildings in the midst of a garden. Many of their architecture features were later adopted by the Mughals. Sikander Lodhi’s tomb has a double dome, which has a new architecture features